2016 was a great year for wind power

2016 has been another record-breaking year for wind power in the UK, and for the first time ever, wind power generated more electricity than coal-fired power stations.

11.5% of the UK’s electricity came from wind turbines in 2016. Power from coal fell to just 9.2%, its lowest level since electricity started being generated in the nineteenth century.

It’s a pretty astounding result for a technology that’s older – and simpler – than you might think!

How do wind turbines work?

Wind turbines are one of the longest standing renewable energy technologies, and can be installed in a range of sizes from a few kW (enough to boil a kettle) to many MW (big enough to power thousands of homes).

The technology that allows wind turbines to generate electricity is simple: wind rotates the turbine blades, which drives a generator and this motion is what produces electricity.

This electricity is then sent through a transformer which converts it to the right voltage for the local network. And that's essentially how wind turbines work!

Wind turbine facts

Older turbines are based on gears but some newer setups, like our turbines at Delabole, are gearless.

Wind speed's affect on generation is calculated on a formula which means that when wind speed doubles, generation increases eightfold!

According to figures from the British Wind Energy Association, a modern wind turbine produces electricity 70-85% of the time.

The UK’s Wind

The UK has the best wind resource in Europe. Though our winds aren’t always strong, they are diverse and frequent – which means we can create a regular source of electricity by maximising the ways and places in which we capture and use wind energy.

The UK is windiest during the winter, and on average it’s windier during the day than the night.

Wind turbines are built where they’ll face prevailing winds, which have an average speed of over six metres per second.

Most UK winds come from a south westerly direction, which is why some of our largest turbines are on the west coast of Scotland and in Cornwall.